Man accused of DUI with 3-year-old in the vehicle

Joshua Hauserman was charged with DUI and child neglect on Aug. 21. Deputies say he had a 3-year-old child in the car with him when he was stopped for driving a Toyota with 2 flat tires.

Joshua Hauserman was charged with DUI and child neglect on Aug. 21. Deputies say he had a 3-year-old child in the car with him when he was stopped for driving a Toyota with 2 flat tires. (Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office)

A 33-year-old man who told deputies he was a "DUI Defense Lawyer" was charged with driving drunk with a 3-year-old child in his SUV.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies say Joshua Todd Hauserman was driving a black Toyota Highlander with two flat tires and recent front-end damage when he was pulled over on Hypoluxo Road near Florida's Turnpike at about 7:45 p.m. Wednesday.

He was charged with DUI and child neglect, according to a Sheriff's Office arrest report. Hauserman also was arrested on a DUI charge in 2011, according to state records. He was found guilty, sentenced to probation and had his license suspended for six months, records show.

The Florida Bar website lists a 'Joshua Todd Hauserman' as a lawyer in good standing with no history of discipline in the past 10 years.

Wednesday's incident started when a deputy saw tire debris in the road near the intersection of Hypoluxo and Lyons roads and then saw the Highlander driving east. It had two damaged left tires that were throwing off more debris, according to the report.

The deputy said he followed the Highlander, now riding on its rims, for almost a mile before it stopped. Unsure why it took the driver so long to stop, the deputy called for back-up.

The second deputy approached the SUV, and said the driver already had his license and registration out. It was then that the deputies noticed the 3-year-old, who was in a front facing car seat, which was "improperly buckled," according to the report.

Deputies say that the driver told them he didn't know his tires were flat, and that he thought he was on the turnpike. They also said they noted "fresh damage" to the Toyota's right front. When they asked the driver about it, he began talking about "tire pressure and mechanics," according to the report.

Both deputies also noted the driver smelled of alcohol, had "slurred, broken speech" and "red, bloodshot eyes."

When another deputy arrived to administer sobriety tests, Hauserman misidentified the child, according to the report. Later, when a deputy showed the driver the shredded tires, he said: "Well, yeah, they're a little low, but you can't stop me for that."

The deputy wrote that the driver "rambled incessantly and begged me to give him a ride home."

During a discussion with the driver, a deputy said he "denied drinking, then admitted to having 'some wine like three hours ago.'" The driver also refused to take a breath test, even though he pretended to take the test three times, according to the report.

Regarding the breath test, the deputy wrote: "The defendant taunted, 'I can do this for an hour or two.' Then said, 'I do this for fun.'"

Hauserman was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail early Thursday and later released on $8,000 bail.